Franklin College had Buddhist monks visit this week on campus. This is the second or third time that they have visited since I have been a student here at Franklin. I had never previously had the opportunity to speak with him regarding their religious lifestyle and beliefs; however, I am currently in a Health Psychology course where they came in to speak about their ways of handling stress and how to subside it.
As a class, we were hoping to have a mediation session with the monks because then we could experience their stress relieving behaviors firsthand; however, they came into class to merely discuss the process of mediation and what all it means to them. Previously, I had the opportunity to mediate at the Buddhist Temple in Bloomington for my religion class. That took place my sophomore year the week before finals; therefore, I used this opportunity as a way of relieving stress before a very stressful week. At that point, I did not understand completely what mediation was for the monks. I simply went through the process without understanding or appreciating the process. Having the monks come into the class to talk about the process was very important for my understanding of the process.
They talked about how during the mediation process it is almost impossible to keep your mind completely clear of thoughts; however, it is important to have those thoughts flow through your head like water flows in a river. If you build a dam within the river, then the water will stop. If you ruminate on a thought during mediation then the mediation will stop. This is a metaphor that would have helped me during my mediation process back in my sophomore year. I had a strong problem with being stuck on a thought and not being able to let it go during the mediation process.
A student asked the monks how they are able to have no anger or frustration. The monks quickly corrected the student and said that they are human so they have anger and frustrations; however, they take the concept of the water and river within the mind and apply it to the anger. They said they try to think of anger as a bird in the sky. They watch the bird fly over the sky. It is a lot like the water flowing through the mind, but instead it s a bird that flies through the mind. By doing this, the monks are able to not be struck on a negative thought, and this helps them overcome anger and frustration.
Having the opportunity to hear the monks talk about their mediation gave me more knowledge on their cultural understanding of stress and anger. This information is important to know because if I ever have an opportunity to work with a monk, then I will have a slightly better understanding of their culture. Experiences such as this one is one of many reasons why I believe Franklin College is building less and less ethnocentric students. By giving students opportunities to cross paths with other cultures, then the students will learn more and more about other cultures. This exposure is very important for the future of the students because it opens their mind and appreciation of others.
As a class, we were hoping to have a mediation session with the monks because then we could experience their stress relieving behaviors firsthand; however, they came into class to merely discuss the process of mediation and what all it means to them. Previously, I had the opportunity to mediate at the Buddhist Temple in Bloomington for my religion class. That took place my sophomore year the week before finals; therefore, I used this opportunity as a way of relieving stress before a very stressful week. At that point, I did not understand completely what mediation was for the monks. I simply went through the process without understanding or appreciating the process. Having the monks come into the class to talk about the process was very important for my understanding of the process.
They talked about how during the mediation process it is almost impossible to keep your mind completely clear of thoughts; however, it is important to have those thoughts flow through your head like water flows in a river. If you build a dam within the river, then the water will stop. If you ruminate on a thought during mediation then the mediation will stop. This is a metaphor that would have helped me during my mediation process back in my sophomore year. I had a strong problem with being stuck on a thought and not being able to let it go during the mediation process.
A student asked the monks how they are able to have no anger or frustration. The monks quickly corrected the student and said that they are human so they have anger and frustrations; however, they take the concept of the water and river within the mind and apply it to the anger. They said they try to think of anger as a bird in the sky. They watch the bird fly over the sky. It is a lot like the water flowing through the mind, but instead it s a bird that flies through the mind. By doing this, the monks are able to not be struck on a negative thought, and this helps them overcome anger and frustration.
Having the opportunity to hear the monks talk about their mediation gave me more knowledge on their cultural understanding of stress and anger. This information is important to know because if I ever have an opportunity to work with a monk, then I will have a slightly better understanding of their culture. Experiences such as this one is one of many reasons why I believe Franklin College is building less and less ethnocentric students. By giving students opportunities to cross paths with other cultures, then the students will learn more and more about other cultures. This exposure is very important for the future of the students because it opens their mind and appreciation of others.